Multitalented

Ilhan Mansiz is a star in Turkey but also well known in his city of birth Kempten, too. During the world cup in 2002, he managed to reach the third place as a part of the Turkish national team, but his career was over soon after. He took another path in life, learned about figure skating, dreamed about competing at the Olympic Games. Today he is a golfer and talks about his eventful life while driving the ABT RS5-R.

Just in time for the Interview with Ilhan Mansiz it starts to rain in Munich. This is definitely not the weather you wish for while meeting one of the most famous sportsmen in Turkey. Mansiz was writing history at the world cup in 2002. During extra time at the quarter finals against Senegal it was the substituted in striker performing the golden goal. The last one in the world cup’s history. During the play-off for third place against South Korea he scored two of the three goals. Everyone in Turkey celebrated the biggest success in their nation’s sports history.

Mister Mansiz, what memories do you have about the year 2002?

What happened back then can be considered as my personal summer’s fairytale. I had to deal with a lot of backlashes during the years but the lump cracked during the 2001/02 season. During my time as a strike at Beşiktaş Istanbul I managed to become the top scorer in Turkish soccer league which enabled me to join the championship in Japan and South Korea.

But you haven’t been an active part of the opening game.

I really had a hard time becoming a part of the team and only competed in one game during qualifications. But things started off during quarter finals. Looking back, the world cup definitely was my career’s climax, even though I didn’t want to believe that back then. I was 27 years old and actually had a lot more things planned.

How did the people in Turkey experience this “summer’s fairytale”?

It truly was some kind of state of emergency in Turkey, but in a good way. Since the championship took place in Japan and South Korea we didn’t know what was going on back home. Of course we’ve been happy about the third place but the enthusiasm really blew us away. Soccer united our nation and all problems were put aside.

And how did you feel about that?

Experiencing all this euphoria surely was wonderful, but I also had wanted it all to be over sometimes. People already recognized me before the world cup but afterwards the hype just grew even bigger. Suddenly people started comparing me to David Beckham, that’s when I had enough. I just wanted to be a soccer player and be judged by my performance and be able to live a normal live besides that. Thank god smartphones haven’t been a thing back then, this would have made things way worse.

While trying to handle his countrymen’s euphoria in late summer 2002, Mansiz was longing for the peace and idyll in Kempten, the place where he comes from. Born in 1975 as the son of Turkish immigrants, his father soon told him to reach all his goals as long as he works hard enough for them. Kempten remains his home during all this time until he turned 18 (except for a short break of five years where he lived in Turkey with his mother and sister).

What do you associate with the Allgäu?

Even though I have Turkish roots, I am from the Allgäu. When I think of Kempten, I think of my childhood because I spent many years there. Any time I didn’t feel good about myself, I came back. Kempten has always been my safe spot, a place to rebuild strength before moving on again and again. My sister still lives in Kempten, that’s why I come to visit her regularly and really have a good time while doing so.

Where do you feel home?

That’s a question I’ve asked myself several times but yet couldn’t find an answer. I feel at home at any place in this world, but I was never able to say this is my home. I feel comfortable while living in Turkey, but also in Germany. That’s why I live in Istanbul and Munich. But I also had a great time while living in Scottsdale, Arizona for a year. I spent four months in Japan as well, another experience I definitely don’t want to miss. I’m a flexible, variable person with the ability to adapt to foreign things and always try to make the best out of any situation.

Mansiz had to “make the best out of the situation” quite often during his career. He already was 14 when he first played an organized soccer game for a real soccer club. You have to say “already” since nowadays  young talents at that age often already have their first contracts signed and an overlooking career ahead. So Mansiz started playing  for SV Lenzfried, c-class, county league. He shoots one goal after the other: 40, 50…, people quickly lost overview and started to say “hey, you’re really talented”. He started playing for FC Kempten, Bavarian league. Things moved ahead.

Which memories do you have about the start of your career?

I definitely had to catch up on many things after starting at FC Kempten. I was the slowest guy with the worst physical fitness. Luckily my dad was a good marathon runner. He pushed me to work out more: mountain sprinting, condition runs, weight training. I managed to become a regular player and noticed that hard work pays off.

You received an offer by FC Augsburg at the age of 18.

At that time, I asked myself  about my goals in live for the first time. Should I take the safest way and stay in Kempten or leave my comfort zone? I decided for Augsburg and dropped out of school.

Mansiz wants to become a professional but also has a plan b: if his career plans as a professional soccer player shouldn’t work out, he wanted go back to school and do his a-levels. He managed to take this big step and started playing for the FC Cologne in 1994. He started playing with the amateurs but already had big plans. His contracts said it’s possible to play for the professional team in the second year. He dreamed about playing in national league. But his father had different plans. In 1995, he wanted his son to switch teams and play in Ankara. After half a year Mansiz aborted the forced adventure and turned back to Germany, back to his safe place, Kempten. He’s done with soccer by that time. He practiced by himself during the week and was out partying during the weekends.

How did you feel during that time?

It wasn’t easy but I kept on believing in me and my future. Backlashes are just a part of life. I continued being an amateur at Türk Gücü in Munch and kept on waiting for the next chance.

Which came in 1997, when you’ve already been 22 years old.

Age didn’t matter to me. I remained calm and switched to the second Turkish league with my friend Ümit Salkan. Not having to take this step by yourself but having a friend by your side made things easier which was why switching back to Turkey was completely voluntarily at that time. I felt good and was able to move on to the first league from that point, followed by a big success: in 2001 Beşiktaş Istanbul asked me to join their team. I surely didn’t have to think about it for too long. Beşiktaş has always been my favorite sports club and things worked out pretty well from the start. I became the scorer and was asked to join the a-class national team at the age of 26. Istanbul made my dream come true.

Do you have an explanation for this fortunate twist?

Looking back I can’t really describe it. I always had a clear vision of becoming a professional soccer player since I was six years old and never had any doubts about it. Every other person might have given up because of all those backlashes that I had to go through but I continued to fight. I always knew that I would make it, no matter how. It wasn’t the ideal way, nothing was really structured. I gave up a lot for this but also always had a will to do so.

Where does this perseverance come from?

Even if it doesn’t always seem so, I’ve always been a hard working type of guy. Being down to earth is something my father has taught me, he was a CNC-lathe operator. I surely do have my rough edges and I’m impulsive as well, but I always know how to perform. Success can’t be planned, performance can. But this is something you’re not gifted with from the start. Jet the biggest commitment has no use when your body doesn’t support you.  His summer’s fairytale was followed by a steady way down. Right after the world championship he had to undergo surgery for his right knee. He didn’t play that often anymore and the downtime increased. In 2004 Mansiz not really voluntarily switched to Japan. His beloved club Beşiktaş wanted him to. In Asia he still was a famous hero because of his achievements during the world cup and also because of his Asian looks. Yet he had to stop playing soccer after four months because of a cartilage damage.

More knee-surgeries followed that incidence. Mansiz steadily worked for his comeback: one man, one vision. He definitely wanted to come back on track. But a comeback shot at Hertha BSC in 2005 failed. Mansiz took another try in Ankara, the same city his father sent him to ten years ago. But he was not able to settle down during his second attempt as well. He returned to Germany where he had to face another huge backslash: It was a wonderful and sunny day in Munich, Mansiz decided to go for a run at the English Garden and crossed the street on his way home when a car driver suddenly overlooked and hit him. He was diagnosed with a damaged inner strip and a torn capsule on his left knee followed by another ten months of rehab.

Did you start having doubts?

Yes and no. The accident was tough and made me feel empty inside for a pretty long time. I could have made a comeback but I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I’ve always had a life besides soccer as well, which is why I never struggled accepting my fate. At the end of a path a new one starts. I had the chance to shoot many commercials in Turkey and Japan due to my popularity and became an actor. Amongst all I acted as a cardiac sportsman in Doktorlar, the Turkish version of Grey’s Anatomy.

And this role mediately got you into ice skating.

In fall 2007, I decided to finally quit soccer and face new challenges. Doktorlar’s production company asked me to join a more sportive format: Buzda Dans, the Turkish verison of stars on ice. I agreed.

Ilhan Mansiz was 32 years old at that time, had to face eight knee-surgeries and wore ice skates for the first time in his life. Olga Bestandigova became his partner. The Slovenian woman and her brother won several national and international pair skating competitions and even competed in the Olypmic Games in Salt Lake City by 2002. The former soccer player is a quick learner and during the show, that both impressively win, bigger plans started to grow. Bestandigova wanted to compete in the Olympic Games again, why not let Mansiz join?

The 2014 Olympic Games in Sotschi. Was it rather some kind of PR-gag or a real aim for you?

We believed in the qualifications and decided to put all our focus on that by 2010. We started practicing eight to ten hours a day at the federal intensive training centre in Oberstdorf. The first competitions highly motivated us in addition. We took the right path…

…but you failed.

Competing at the Olympic Games was a big aim. Saying so but missing the chance to compete was the point when media started to represented it as a big failure. I personally think that it was a huge success to gain the ability to compete within international competitions as a newcomer after only two and a half years of practicing. It always depends on the point of view.

What did you learn during your time as a professional figure skater?

Once you have a certain goal in mind, believe in it and work hard for it, you can reach it. It doesn’t matter how old you are and what you’ve done before.

Mansiz goes full speed

Ilhan Mansiz claims to be a car- and motorcycle-nerd. He obtained his driving license by the age of 19 and has owned more than 50 cars until present day – this results in 2.2 cars a year on average. Yet the test drive wit the all-wheel ABT RS5-R still is something special. He leads the 530 HP strong sports wagon via the main road upon the autobahn and talks about his long sportsmen-career.

But as the speed limit expires and the left lane is empty, Mansiz suddenly stops talking. He hits the gas and the six cylinder biturbo with an impressive torque of 690 nm strikes. “Woooow” he bursts out while the digital speed display goes higher and higher. 160, 200, …he starts to slow down at 253 km/h. The smile on his face speaks volumes. Due to the sport stabilizers and the coil-over the ABT RS5-R perfectly masters this challenge.

Happy car-nerd

It takes some time for Mansiz to get himself together again but after a while he says: “This car is one hell of fun. It is solitely seated on the road, has a direct handling, a powerful V6-sound and power. Mansiz, who likes to drive on the fast lane, admits “you surely are close to handing in your driving license when you’re out with the ABT RS5-R” with a wink. Concerning the topic of buying a second car, he thinks about a sports car where “the RS5-R surely is an option.” His golfing bag easily fits inside the trunk, which is a big plus. He smiles, focuses and hits the gas pedal once again.